


Heaven Wasn't Made For Me

by Neuvieme



Category: Stardew Valley (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, Ferngill-Gotoro War, Introspection, Romance, Slow Build
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-17
Updated: 2018-07-25
Packaged: 2019-06-12 01:09:47
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 16,417
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15328422
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Neuvieme/pseuds/Neuvieme
Summary: A loss of purpose in both her career and in life results in a young woman moving back to her grandfather’s farm in the rural countryside of Stardew Valley. With only her love for gardening to comfort her insecurities and secrets, Sophie Rosenfeld is ready to settle into a life undisturbed; vowed to spend the rest of her life alone. Unfortunately, she finds out that being a recluse is not as easy as it seems.Especially when faced with the sunny disposition and unrelenting friendship imposed on her by a certain blond-haired villager.





	1. Thriving

The shrill sound of a desk phone trilled noisily somewhere in the background. Keys clacked and clicked as the several dozens of desk jockeys pitter-pattered away at their computers. Plugging in values, adjusting numbers. Inflating sales.

The name plaque that was pinned to the side of a particular cubicle was starting to tilt to one side; the clip becoming slack over time.

“ _Rosenfeld!!”_

The furious voice roared from a distance, but forceful enough for a tremor to ripple throughout the cluttered office floor. It was just enough force to knock whatever grip it had left on the plaque and sent it toppling down to the floor in a clatter. A  bewildered-looking woman’s head jutted out in the entrance space; panic settling in her eyes.

“Director Burne…! Uh… y-yes?” Her hesitant reply came trickling from behind the regimented walls of her workspace, as she slowly carted herself into view in her office chair.

A stack of files met the surface of her desk harshly. The young woman dressed in an oversized blazer over a plain office shirt and pencil skirt stared at the files before brief terror flashed in her eyes.

“Was there… something wrong with the reports?”

“‘Wrong’ is an understatement, Rosenfeld. How on _earth_ did you screw up the numbers on them?! I thought I gave you ample time to finish them.” The older man would roar back, and the woman before him visibly flinched from the spittle that flew from his mouth.

“I, uh,” She wiped her face with her sleeve quickly. “Well those came from Accounting just the other day last minute, so I didn’t think to check–”

“It is _your_ job to check everything. I can’t have you holding back our accounts by being so incompetent at the job we’re _paying_ you to do.” Burne steelily replied, pressing his hand against the top of the file stack. He pressed down upon it as if he was trying to manifest a portion of his anger by crushing the reports through her desk.

Brushing back a couple of bangs dyed honey brown, the woman thought about firing back a smart response about how it was technically the Accounting department’s job to make sure they’re capable of using a calculator, but bit her lip and decided against it.

_Calm down, Sophie. Don’t take his bait._

“You’re right. I’m sorry.” She replied back through clenched teeth. “I’ll fix them up by EOD.”

Burne merely harrumphed and exited her cubicle without another word. With a long sigh, she got up from her seat and bent down to pick up her fallen name plaque. Upon closer examination, she saw that the plastic clip was cracked.

Groaning inwardly, she tossed the now defective badge back onto the recesses of her small desk, sinking into her chair. The plaque bounced off a potted succulent she kept. Even through the meagre artificial light and stagnant air, it was thriving. Sophie wondered enviously about how life would be so much easier if she could trade places with her damn plant.

Eyeing the stack of files she now had to redo by the end of her shift, the young woman grabbed a fistful of files and began to get to work.

She didn’t make much headway into what would be another couple of hours worth of mindless cramming, because she received a new visitor who decided to stop by her cubicle. A sharp knock against the flimsy cubicle walls startled her back to attention, much to her chagrin.

An unsmiling woman dressed in a smart business suit and dress stood outside her cube.

“I need you to come down to HR with me. Now.” The stern reply came, and she began to walk towards the hallway entrance. “And please put your name plaque back where it belongs, Rosenfeld. Company policy.”

Sophie Rosenfeld rose from her seat, feeling the onset of a migraine coming, and trotted after the woman.

 

* * *

 

“You filed these health insurance claims, correct?”

Sophie fidgeted nervously in her seat, glancing over the photocopied printouts of several medical bills. Sure enough, her name was on every one of them. “Erm… yes. I did.” Her quiet reply came, and her fingers balled into fists, gripping the hem of her grey skirt tightly.

“This bill, for six check-ups from your general practitioner, came to a total of 3,400 G from the East Zuzu City Clinic. And then several bills for a respiratory function test, X-rays, blood tests… all from the Zuzu City Center Hospital.” The HR representative assigned to her case methodically pulled out each piece of paper relevant to the conversation as she listed them out. Sophie glanced back. The name badge read ‘Clara Waters’.

“Erm, Clara – if I may call you that –”

“Please call me Ms. Waters.”

“Okay.” Sophie intoned back, feeling bile rising at the back of her throat. “ _Ms. Waters._ I was lead to believe that I had a 10,000G annual deductible according to my health insurance plan with the company?”

Clara stared blankly back.

“The insurance policy was changed two months ago. The ten grand deductible is only applicable to certain prescription drugs and general visits limited up to _three_ visits a year.” She clarified, watching the horror growing on the woman’s face. “Did you not receive an email from the HR department regarding this change?”

“Huh? I – no, well, yes maybe, I’d have to check my inbox–”

“At any rate, Miss Rosenfeld, you are 5,398 G over the maximum allowance. We will be deducting it from your next paycheck. Hm.” Clara glanced at a separate file case she had kept to the side of her desk, eyes skimming over numbers and letters. “Make that deduction coming from your next _two_ paychecks.”

Stone-faced, Sophie gazed back emptily.

“If there’s anything else you would like to discuss, or if you have questions to ask, now’s the time.” Clara concluded impatiently, but her charge simply picked up her things and left the office without another word, as if the world was put on mute.

 

* * *

 

Somehow she made it back to her cubicle, mostly because it’s the only spot in the entire building she was familiar with for the past three years. The urgency of Burne’s request for the revised reports barely came into the frame of her mind.

_5,400 G in debt, and in this sinking hellhole of a company._ She thought hopelessly to herself, glancing up at the lightly stained walls.

_Joja Corp. Join us. Thrive._

Thrive? Sophie snorted audibly, glaring back at her computer screen, and then at her succulent. The only thing that was thriving around here was her beloved desk plant that only needed minimal watering once a week.

_Just quit._ The voice at the back of her mind nagged at the back of her mind.

_I can’t. There’s rent to figure out, bills to pay, and…_

Pressing a hand against her eyes, the urge to cry came over her, washing over her soul like a rocking ache. Persistent stubbornness won over in the end, and she got off light with a small sniffle. She didn’t want her gossiping co-workers to hear her crying after being sent to HR with the warm welcome she got from Clara earlier.

_But just what “if”?_

As if possessed by emotion in that very moment, Sophie quickly began to clean up her desk of its usual clutter, tossing old papers and files into her recycling bin. As she tidied up her space, she pulled back the drawer, beginning to toss the bits and pieces of pins, paper clips and other office supplies that weren’t of much use into the trash. At the bottom of the drawer, a yellowed envelope sat, unopened.

_Huh?_

Picking it up, she noticed the bright wax seal. Her father’s family seal. _Grandpa’s seal._

Faint memories of spending her early childhood days on a bright and sunny farm out in the rural countryside came rolling in. Gingerly opening the envelope, Sophie opened the letter; dark eyes quickly glancing at the handwritten letters and the blotchiness of Grandpa’s unmistakable ink pen.

_Dearest Sophie,_

_If you're reading this, you must be in dire need of a change. The same thing happened to me, long ago. I'd lost sight of what mattered most in life... real connections with other people and nature. So I dropped everything and moved to the place I truly belong._

_I’ve enclosed the deed to that place… my pride and joy: Rosenfeld Farm. It’s located in Stardew Valley, on the southern coast. It’s the perfect place to start your new life._

_This was my most precious gift of all, and now it’s yours. I know you’ll honor the family name, my dear. Good luck._

_Love, Grandpa_

 


	2. Welcome Committee

“Water these ones once a week. Water this one every three days.” She spoke plainly as she shuffled several potted plants into a cardboard box. Her father stood by the door, glancing at the apartment that had been emptied out.

“Did you really sell all of your things?” Her father asked worriedly, noticing that even the ceiling lamp was gone. “Would you be okay once you’re down at the farm?”

“I had to pay off that 5.4 grand debt I had on my record. With just enough left over along with my deposit I managed to bargain off from my lease termination.” She sighed, brushing the dust off a large, leafy plant. “This one needs weekly drainage and lots of water, by the way.”

“Okay, Soph. I’ll try to remember.” Adam Rosenfeld took the box from his daughter’s hands, holding it securely in his own. “Is that everything?”

The short woman picked up an oversized duffle bag, which looked packed to the brim with all of her essentials and now, the little worldly possessions she owned. “Yep. Keys are on the counter. Let’s ditch this place.”

Back outside, Sophie tossed the rest of small things she was leaving behind for her parents – namely, her little garden of plants she had managed to grow in her humble apartment – into the back trunk of her father’s car, and climbed into the passenger seat. With a grunt, she managed to buckle up and tossed her bag onto her lap.

Her father turned on the ignition to the car, and pulled out from the parkway in front of her apartment. Silence permeated the atmosphere, as she sat there listening to the clicking of the left turn signal, while her father kept his eye on the road.

“I guess mom didn’t feel like saying ‘goodbye’, huh.” She finally broke the silence, staring at her bag.

“You know how your mother is. Stubborn, just like you.” Her father’s soothing reply did little to make her feel better. Sophie scowled.

“She’d rather have me waste my life away for a company that didn’t give a damn about me. After working there for _three_ years, dad! No raise, no promotion. It was a dead end to begin with.” Sophie threw her hands up in the air as she ranted, and concluded with a sharp exhale as she huffed and crossed her arms over her chest.

The car wheeled out of the parking lot, and was soon heading onto the freeway, towards the Zuzu City Bus Terminal.

“Your mother… had a difficult upbringing. She didn’t get the opportunities you had. She just wanted you to secure a future for yourself so you didn’t have to live in poverty like she did.” Adam tried to reason, but it only served to irritate his daughter further.

“How is selling my soul to a job that barely pays for bills in Zuzu City _not_ living in poverty already? And she did just fine by marrying _you._ ” Sophie venomously snarled back, but immediately regretted it when the last breath of air suddenly winded her and she coughed up a fit.

“Breathe, Sophie. Take it easy. Did you take your inhaler with you?” Adam instructed firmly, but despite his words his tone was tinged with worry. “What did your doctor say anyway about you moving to Stardew Valley?”

Taking in ragged, deep breaths one at a time, Sophie waited until her heart beat de-escalated and took a sip of water from her water bottle she kept stashed in a side pocket of her bag. “Yeah, I did. And she said I should take it easy but it’ll be better than the smog I inhale on a daily basis here in Zuzu.”

Screwing the cap back on, she pocketed the bottle back.

She could feel the car slowing down as her father brought the car around a wide bend. A large bus station sat in the immediate distance, where lines and rows of buses and other mass transportation came in and out. Finding a spot to dock their car nearby the curbside, her father got out to help her out along with her heavy bag.

“Thanks dad.” Sophie gave her father a tight embrace, feeling her eyes tickle for a moment. Her father held her tightly for a moment, not letting go just yet.

“Are you sure about this? If you change your mind, you know your mother will want you to come home. It’s okay if you need some time to sort yourself out and live with us.” Sophie could tell it was the last trick her father had up in his sleeve — if she could even call it a trick. His plea sounded genuine.

She understood at the very least, the depths of her father’s parental worry.

“I need to do this for myself. I’ll be fine.” Squeezing her father’s hand tightly, she let go of his hold and readjusted the strap of her bag that was starting to dig painfully into her shoulder. “Gotta go. Bus leaves in twenty minutes and I still gotta find my platform.”

“Alright. I love you, Soph.”

“Love you too, dad.”

 

* * *

 

The bus trip spanned over the course of six hours, due to it stopping to refuel and pick up more passengers along the way. However, a bulk of the passengers have gone before the very last stop, from which Sophie surmised that Stardew Valley must _really_ be on the fringes of the rural countryside, judging by the apparent lack of traffic.

“Damn country bumpkins… never getting those darn lights fixed…” She could hear the bus driver grumbling irritably to himself as they passed through a pitch-black tunnel. As she sat, huddled in her seat clutching her bag watching nothing but blackness after blackness rush by, a pinhole of light appeared in the distance and the bus would slow down, emerging out into a worn-down road.

The vehicle puttered to a stop, but not before passing a large, wooden signboard that read in faded letters, ‘WELCOME TO STARDEW VALLEY’. Flecks of paint remained below, from what she could make out, used to be a quaint little painting of Pelican Town surrounded by picturesque hills and rivers.

_Well then._

“Last stop: Stardew Valley!” The bus driver rumbled out, and Sophie got up immediately before her knees gave out from sitting down for so long. Struggling to tug her bag over her shoulder, the short woman hobbled over to the front of the bus, glancing at the bus driver worriedly, before exiting his bus.

“G’luck, missy.” The bus driver replied in a kinder voice, as he stared down at her with a pitying look. “Nothin’ out here but the boonies. I hope you find what you’re lookin’ for.”

Sophie sighed, nodding her head in agreement. “Me too.”

As the bus pulled away from the curb, she watched it maneuver around a worn down bus that was sitting off to the side. It looked like it had been broken down for a few years down, noting the rust stains and deflated tires. A big sigh released from her lips, and she stood there for a moment, scratching her head and wondering if perhaps she should’ve taken her father up on his offer.

“Hey there!” A cheery voice called out from behind, and Sophie jumped in surprise before whipping around to see who it was. The smiling face of a middle-aged woman dressed in a fur-trimmed vest and jumper greeted her. Bright red hair framed her face.

“You must be Sophie!” With an ecstatic smile, the woman grabbed Sophie’s hand and shook it vigorously. Dumbstruck at the sudden appearance of this overly-friendly stranger, Sophie could only mutely nod back and attempt to return the handshake. “I’m Robin, the local carpenter. You must be Erwin’s granddaughter, aren’t you? Mayor Lewis sent me here to fetch you and show you to your grandfather’s farm.”

As Sophie tried to process the new information that Robin had thrown at her in a sudden frenzy, she managed to smile back weakly with a shy nod. “P-Pleased to meet your acquaintance, Robin. So uh, where’s the Mayor now? I want to give him my greetings before I settle in.” Her grandfather _did_ want her to pass on a ‘hello’ over to Lewis, all things considered, and Robin mentioning that very same Lewis managed to toggle that memory of her grandpa’s letter back in mind.

“He’s down by your farm, tidying a few things up for your arrival,” Robin answered kindly, before motioning for Sophie to follow her. “C’mon now, let’s get a moving on. He’s waiting down by Rosenfeld Farm. I dare say he’s pretty excited to have you join our little village, too!”

 _Boy, Robin sure loves to chat._ Sophie smiled awkwardly back, huffing as she picked up her bag and began the hike down the uneven dirt road towards the farm. Luckily for her, the path was descending downhill and so she managed to pick up the pace and followed Robin with some relative ease.

“Oh, he is? I think my grandpa was friends with Mayor Lewis. And I haven’t been back to the Valley in… wow, I guess it’s almost been two decades.” Sophie exclaimed in surprise as she mentally did the math. Sure enough, the last time she was here was when she was barely old enough to attend elementary school. Or so she was told by her father; after all, those memories have long faded and replaced with a bulk of her growing adult life.

“Two decades indeed is a long time.” Robin agreed, glancing back at the soon-to-be farmer with a cursory glance. “Is that all you brought? I had expected more! Well, not that that’s a bad thing.” She chuckled as the young woman’s face lit up a bright red. “You’ll find everything you need right here in Pelican Town. And, as folks around here always say, ‘ _the Valley always provides_ ’.”

Sophie huffed as the ground leveled back out. She could really feel her bag attempting to drag her down along with it to the ground right now. “Y-Yeah, nothing’s more exciting than… _pant_ … being self-sufficient.”

“Take it easy now.” Robin halted their brisk, semi-lengthy walk and quickly helped the shorter woman take off her bag. She dropped it on the floor by their feet, before gesturing to the fenced entrance. “We’re here anyway. Welcome to Rosenfeld Farm!”

Sophie stared back at what looked like a storm of fallen tree branches, stones, rotting stumps, and other wild overgrowth had settled onto the property in front of a simple-looking cabin. She picked up her bag, walking deeper into the farm as she stared in disbelief at how unkempt the entire place looked. _How long ago did Grandpa die again? This place is a total mess…_

“Hey, don’t look so down! Sure, the place is overrun by overgrowth but with a bit of spit and shine you’ll have it up and running in no time!” Robin winked back at the exasperated-looking woman, who merely shot the carpenter a withering stare of despair. “Beneath all that mess, the soil’s pretty decent!”

The door to the cabin swung open at that moment, and an aged-look man stepped out with a look of elated surprise over his face. A tweed cap, a green shirt with an argyle knit sweater vest. Despite the homely simplicity of his appearance, he carried himself with an air of friendly prestige.

“Ah, you must be Sophie!” He greeted her immediately, walking down the porch steps that creaked loudly as he did so. Sophie winced at the sound but quickly took his outstretched hand, shaking it. She was getting accustomed to being accosted with sudden welcomes.

“And you must be Mayor Lewis. A pleasure to finally meet you.” Sophie breathed out, quickly reaching for her kerchief inside the folds of her cardigan. She could feel her forehead perspiring now, glistening and fresh from her walk down over from the bus stop.

Lewis’ eyes twinkled in response. Sophie knew that look; it was the look of admiration her mother had when she graduated college. The same look when she was hired to work at Joja Corp.

_The look of misplaced hope._

“Yes, I am Pelican Town’s mayor, Lewis.” He warmly confirmed, clasping her hands in his and gave another good shake before letting go. “You know, everyone’s been asking about you. They’re all curious about old Erwin’s granddaughter who’s decided to take up residence in the old farmhouse.”

Sophie laughed weakly. “Ah hah, well, that’s me!”

“And, it’s not like every day someone new joins us here in Pelican Town!” Lewis stated proudly, beaming back at the old cabin, which creaked noisily as a breeze blew by. Sophie fought the urge to grimace. She wasn’t sure, between the fact that statement wasn’t exactly someone to be proud of, and the fact that her house was sure to have a couple of critters taken up residence, of which one was worse.

_Definitely both._

“I think the last time someone moved into town were the Wilsons.” Robin chipped in. Sophie turned back to face her with a puzzled look. “Ah, sorry, you wouldn’t have known Jodi’s family since they’ve only moved here a couple of years ago.” Robin smiled apologetically. “They live in town, by Willow Lane. Why don’t you introduce yourself to them sometime?”

“Excellent idea, Robin.” Lewis chimed in this time, giving an approving nod. “I’m sure the rest of the folks in town would appreciate you dropping by and giving a moment of your time to introduce yourself. Perhaps even get re-acquainted with the ones who’ve been here since the last time you’ve visited?”

She was drawing a blank on _who_ could possibly still remember a nobody like her, but regardless she feigned a smile and bowed courteously. “Thank you, I’ll take you up on your advice. I suppose I’ll get settled in and I’ll see you around?”

“Come by my shop whenever you’re in need of upgrades for that house of yours! Or if you need me to construct a barn or two for your needs.” Robin waved goodbye cheerfully at the young woman. “I’d love to do business with you sometime!”

Sophie awkwardly waved goodbye to the eager carpenter, before facing Lewis with a sheepish smile. “Thank you again, Lewis. I’ll try to do right by Grandpa.”

“He only wanted you to do what’s best for _you._ ” Lewis advised gently, tucking his hands behind his back as he began his leisurely stroll back into Pelican Town. “Remember, we’re all here for you.”

Sophie watched her welcome committee fade into the distance, further down the dirt trail back into Pelican Town. A sombre expression had settled into her features, as she rubbed the side of her neck awkwardly.

An intense feeling of regret washed over Sophie. She could tell she was going to turn out to be a disappointment to everyone.


	3. Blue Jazz

Sam sat back against the cushioned seat, watching his two best friends playing a lazy game of billiards in the Stardrop Saloon lounge room. It was Friday night, and despite the low tension and excited buzz for the weekend that filled the atmosphere of Pelican Town’s only social hangout, his mood was a bit sour than most.

 “Cheer up, Sam. I’m sure it wasn’t intentional.” Abigail, who seemingly read his mind at that moment, spoke up comfortingly before giving the cue ball a practised spin. The clack of the balls rolling and colliding against one another followed sharply after. “Like Sebastian said. The new farm girl’s been busy.”

“Can confirm.” His more quiet friend responded quickly but kept his eyes trained on the pool table; surveying how to proceed his next move strategically. “Been in and out of my mom’s shop the past week. They’re getting old man Erwin’s place cleaned up properly.”

It did little to soothe the growing discomfort on the blond’s face, as he only grew upset. “Yeah, but practically _everyone’s_ met her at this point. Except for _me._ ” He was sounding self-important and he hated it, but the fact that everyone’s met the newcomer to Pelican Town except for him was starting to make him think that perhaps there’s just something wrong with _him._ “It’s been a week and even my _brother’s_ met the farmer!”

The gossiping and rumour-mongering started not long after the first day the new girl had arrived in town, despite her lack of appearance, it seemed. It all started over dinner last week when his mother gave the news of the old farm north of Marnie’s ranch being occupied again. Personally, he’d never gone to see the place considering it was abandoned ever since the previous occupant had passed away some time ago, but he’s been egged on various times by Abigail about sneaking into the abandoned property on “tests of courage”.

And as mothers are wont to do, she had prepared her famous fish casserole as a welcoming gift to their new “neighbour” (as she put it, Sam had a lengthy argument over the definition of ‘neighbour’ with her). Nice girl, she had said. A bit on the quiet side. Dressed a bit old-fashioned, though, for a city girl.

That was the basis of most everyone’s opinion of the newcomer. Quiet, but nice enough. Kept to herself mostly, but exchanged pleasantries whenever she could. No one really knew much aside from her being the Rosenfeld’s granddaughter, who had moved from Zuzu City. Much like him, he surmises, thinking about the days when it was just him, his mother, and his father working as a garbage man in the narrow, concrete streets of the urban scene.

“Penny takes your brother and Jas on ‘nature walks’ every week. She’s a farmer, right? Might’ve bumped into them on her way to Marnie’s.” Sebastian reasoned, returning fire on Abigail’s last move now. The purple-haired girl wrinkled her nose, watching her friend drop several cueballs into the pockets on the sides of the table.

“But Sam, don’t you also like, sleep until noon?” She snorted, rolling her cue stick in her hand and took a moment to detach herself from the game to stare at her sulking friend on the sofa. “She comes into our store first thing in the morning, as soon as we’re open.”

Sam’s face flushed an indignant red, and he sat up abruptly and pointed an accusatory finger back. “So does Sebastian! And _he’s_ met farm girl!” At the mention of his name, Sebastian gave a shrug of his shoulders.

“She comes into my mom’s shop every day, it just so happens that we’ve bumped into one another a few times.” Sam bristled at Sebastian’s cool reasoning, grumpily acknowledging his logic. “That’s… true.” He admitted. He threw himself back against the sofa and sank down, defeated.

“I dunno, is it weird that I find it weird how everyone’s met the newest addition to our town _except_ for me? Like, even Haley’s met her and she _never_ goes out of her way to see people."

Abigail let out a harsh sigh, tossing the cue stick back against the rack. “Not in the mood to play anymore, thanks to wet blanket here.” She took a seat opposite of the sulking blond, crossing her legs and arms and stared at the ceiling with a bored look. “I don’t get why you’re so hung up over this. If she doesn’t care enough to go out of her way to introduce herself to you, why should _you_ care?”

Ugh! Friends and their logic! Sam knew in his heart, that they were right. But he wasn’t sure what was still tugging his chain about this whole thing. It shouldn’t even be a big deal, but here he was… making a big deal.

“Why don’t you introduce yourself then?”

Sebastian gazed back at Sam expectantly. Sam stared back.

“W-What?”

“Go. Introduce. _Yourself_.” Emphasizing each word as if he was trying to talk to a toddler, Sebastian leaned against the pool table, gathering the stray cue balls and placing them back in order. “Clearly she operates on her own schedule, and you’re free on Sundays, so go up there and introduce yourself.” Sounding mildly irritated that he had to repeat himself, Sebastian dusted his hands after cleaning up after their game and turned to face his friend. 

“Um, that’s… actually a great idea!” Sam leap up in shocked revelation, all the meanwhile feeling his previously-lost appetite returning to the pit of his stomach. “Er, after I grab another slice from Gus. Be right back.”

Sebastian and Abigail shared a look of exasperation.

Meanwhile, ten miles over on Rosenfeld Farm, a young woman let out a large sneeze while putting away her gardening tools by the side of her house porch. Wiping her nose on the back of her dirty gardening gloves, Sophie worriedly glanced up at the orange-hued sky.

“I feel like I forgot someone…?” She murmured to herself, remembering she would do good on her promise to Lewis to introduce herself to the townsfolk. Her mind drew a blank. With a shrug, she turned back to her tools and headed back inside her cabin.

 

* * *

 

The two women stood before the collapsed building. The white metal frame was stained with rust from the weather and water, while shards of broken glass and metal scattered across the cracked tiled floor. Robin glanced up and down at what looked like dilapidated greenhouse; now a pile of junk beyond repair.

“Unfortunately this is something beyond my skill to fix up.” She confirmed, eying the semi-broken pane still clinging onto the frail frame on the roof of the broken greenhouse. “I warrant you shouldn’t try to fix it yourself; looks mighty dangerous with all the broken glass and whatnot.”

A defeated sigh came out of Sophie’s lips. “Thanks for your time anyway, Robin. I’ll figure something out.” Staring at the broken greenhouse with one last, withering forlorn stare, she pulled her gaze away before smiling sadly back at the carpenter. “I thought maybe you might have an idea or two but if it’s not fixable by current means, that’s okay.”

“I can get you started with those beehives – at least, the frame for it – but you’ll need to supply the flowers and the syrup once I’ve finished the frame for it.”

“Sounds wonderful. Sorry again for the trouble.” Sophie could help but to bow her head in courtesy again, feeling overwhelmed by how helpful Robin has been since the first week she’s settled here in Stardew Valley.

A hearty laugh came out of the older woman’s lips. “Think nothing of it! After all, I’m getting paid for it!” Clapping an encouraging pat on the farmer’s shoulders, she waved goodbye, exiting Rosenfeld Farms with blueprints in tow.

Pressing her lips together as she surveyed the open land before her, Sophie thought long and hard about what her next course of action was, before grabbing her gardening apron and gloves that were sitting by her porch.

She didn’t bring much with her. She barely owned many clothes, aside from the office attire that permeated her wardrobe ever since she was with Joja. Her grandfather did, however, leave behind several things behind, including her late grandmother’s old clothes. The pattern and style was something left to be desired, but despite the faded colour and odd smell, the fabric was still strong. After a good washing and two, she had been parading around her farm in her grandmother’s old skirts which surprisingly kept the dirt and dust off her knees while she worked around the soil and cleared out more brush off her property.

Which, speaking off, she had cleared a good third of the space by then. It was hard work, especially working with an axe (something which she’s never done before). Some of the larger, longer logs were too heavy for her to move and so she split them into firewood or reshaped a couple to make natural barriers against the grass from spreading onto the tillable soil.

Pulling up the sleeves of her cotton-knit cardigan pulled over a white dress shirt, she donned her sunhat and pulled on her gloves. Leather boots crunched against the gravel that was laid in front of her house, and she stared wistfully at it, wondering if perhaps Clint might have ideas on how to decorate the footpath a bit better than just piles of pebbles.

“I should get started on those blue jazzes today.” She murmured to no one in particular but to herself and began to hum as she fingered a couple of seed packets she had gotten from Pierre’s the day before, palming it on her outstretched hand as she counted them. Grabbing her hoe and a spade, she marched down the path, past rows and rows of already-flowering tulips she had begun cultivating last week. The air swarmed with the hum and whistle of insects, drawn by the sweet, flowery scent in the spring air.

Finding the pile of overturned earth she had started on earlier that morning, Sophie went right back into it, tilling a plot large enough to plant the seeds she wanted. Getting on her knees, she took her garden spade and began the process of digging out shallow burrows before sprinkling a few seeds into the dark, moist earth.

Fingers expertly wrung a loose circle around the scattered seeds, before pushing them down half an inch deeper into the soil. Sophie sprinkled loose soil on top, patting it down lightly before shuffling over to the next batch to repeat the process. It felt like forever since she had gotten down on her knees to plant something outdoors, much lest the last time she remembered doing so with her grandfather.

_“Go easy on them, Sophie.” Her grandfather would rumble with laughter, watching his young granddaughter trying her hardest to compress the buried seeds with both hands. “They need to breathe, too!”_

_“But they’re not flowers yet…” The innocent reply came, confusion spreading across young Sophie’s face. Erwin placed his large hand on top of the mound, gently shaking it loose._

_“Even as seeds, they’re living creatures too. You must give them the same respect to any other living being.” He explained, loosening the soil a bit more and picking out the large sunflower seeds. With his other hand, he parted the compressed earth and dug out a small hole._

_Sophie watched her grandfather place the seeds tenderly back into the earth before covering them back up lightly with a blanket of black earth. “They just need a little bit. Just a gentle push.” Erwin continued, picking up the watering can before grinning down on his granddaughter. “Shall we do the honours?”_

_“Yep!” She held onto the handle of the heavy watering can, hoisted up by her grandfather, and the two of them sprinkled the cold water on top. “Is that enough? Won’t the flower need more?” She quizzically asked, looking expectantly up at her grandfather. He smiled back._

_“Yes, but not right away, and not all at once. We’ll visit Mr. Sunflower again tomorrow morning and give him some more.” Setting down the can, he picked her up, sending the child into a fit of giggles. He placed her on his shoulders, and she gazed across the field of bright, yellow field with dark brown spots. A field of sunflowers, stretching upwards at the blue sky._

_“Sophie, I want you to know that no matter what everyone says about you, I love you very much. You know that right?”_

She closed her eyes, trying to recall as much as she could from that faint memory of her grandfather. But despite her greatest efforts, it was fading away into the warm, sunny haze, leaving behind a feeling that left her wondering if it was real or just a figment of her imagination.

 

* * *

 

 

Sweat was beginning to line his forehead as Sam made the unfamiliar trek through the forest path towards Marnie’s Ranch. He’d visited the lake plenty of times in the fall, but he rarely ventured out during this time of the year due to his pollen allergy. _Good thing I remembered to take a Claritin before I left the house._ He numbly thought, staring at the daffodils and dandelions that dotted the path towards Marnie’s.

Spotting the familiar red barn and country house past the fenced walkway that ran along the riverside, he quickly made his way towards the entrance where he spotted Marnie out by the doorsteps, shaking out a rug covered with hay. “Morning Marnie!” He greeted cheerfully, and the middle-aged woman glanced up in surprise at the unfamiliar voice.

“Oh!” Her eyes connected on the visage of Sam, who was briskly walking towards her way. _Well, this is an unusual guest,_ she thought to herself. “Sam! Good morning. What can I do for you?”

“Actually,” He started with a sheepish grin and instinctively rubbed the back of his neck while doing so. “I was wondering if you knew where the new farm girl lives.”

Marnie gazed back at him with a somewhat surprised look frozen on her face, before giving her rug a final, hard shake and folded it over a nearby wooden fence post. “Just take a right further down this road, you can’t miss it. I think.” She returned her own sheepish smile back at Sam, who looked perturbed at her uncertainty.

“It took me a few tries the first time I went over to her farm. The gal wanted a chicken to kickstart her farm off, so I went to go deliver little Plato for her. But the Rosenfeld Farm’s back entrance hasn’t been used in _years_ , and she was still in the midst of clearing off her property…”

Marnie droned on, before realizing that she was perhaps overriding Sam with too much information at once. “I’m sorry my dear, ahem. I’m sure she’s cleared the brush by now, just take the first right you see.”

Sam gave a slow nod. “Oookay… thanks Marnie!” Now armed with unclear instructions, he foraged on anyway… surely, it couldn’t be that hard, could it? He waved goodbye to Marnie as he exited her property, continuing down the dirt road that was starting to grow over with grass. _Right?_

He found the bend leading northwards off the beaten path in the forest. Spotting a couple of old, wooden fences keeping _some_ of the wild bushes at bay to make a semblance of a new path, he instinctively followed it. The grass looked a bit overrun, but otherwise, the road looked that it had seen busier days in the past. The dirt was hard, with grass trying to grow through the cracks where it could.

Upon entering the bushy pathway, however, Sam was puzzled to see a barrage of trees clustered around the fringes of the property. Someone had managed to clear a narrow path throughout the whole mess. In all honesty, it looked like there was more forest on the farm than there was in Cindersap itself. With no choice but to follow it, he began his trek, cutting across the property.

“Hello?” He shouted out loud, hoping for someone to catch his voice. He didn’t want to seem like he was trespassing. “Umm… anyone here?”

 _Well, the farm’s pretty big, maybe she didn’t hear me?_ Sam thought to himself worriedly and quickened his pace. The forest cleared out to an open stretch of land, stuffed to the brim with…

 _Flowers_.

He could feel his nose cringing and tingling at the sight of all the flowers that were planted. His steps rapidly quickened, and he felt a sneeze incoming. “Hey, new girl – _gah!!_ ”

A body he didn’t notice previously suddenly jutted into view; previously hidden behind a bush thick with tulips. Sam’s immediate reaction was to backpedal his way back, but in doing so, he tripped over a nearby log conveniently placed near where the footpath through the fields of flowers. His vision slipped upwards, with a terrific thud he soon found himself seeing stars, and then, the blue sky.

“Oh for the love of…” A voice muttered somewhere nearby, and Sam groggily looked up to see the face of a young woman around his age staring down at him with a look of horror. “Are you okay?” She asked him worriedly, bending down before grabbing a hold of his hand with her own gloved one.

With a grunt of effort, she pulled him off the ground – at least, until he was sitting upright – and the sudden rush of blood racing out of his head made Sam lurch forwards in a sudden dizzy spell. He bowled right into her forehead, smacking it loud and hard.

She yelped out, and this time was the one to fall back onto the dirt. A hand flew to nurse her head immediately, and she moaned lightly from the pain. The sunhat she was wearing toppled to the ground noiselessly. Sam immediately bounced back to attention and hovered over the farmer he had head-butted into submission. “Holy shit, I’m so sorry–!”

He pulled her up this time, keeping a firm grip around her hand. Sam released his hold when he was sure she wasn’t going to fall back down again.

The girl grimaced as she sat up, degloving her hands and pressing a finger against the space between her eyes as if to block out the pain. “Uh, it’s okay. I’m good.” Eyes fluttered open and shut, and she raised her chin up to get a good look at him. And him, a good look at his new “neighbour”.

Shoulder-length brown hair that tumbled slightly past her shoulders were now sporting tousled loops in disarray, most likely when he had knocked her flat onto the ground. The tips were more honey than the rest of the natural brown by the roots as if she had attempted to do a full dye at some point but just let it fade out over time. Her eyes were dark – and slanted, much like the rest of the features of her face; she didn’t look like she came from the countryside, but she didn’t look like Zuzu City stuff either. She had paler skin than he thought a farmer would, but seeing as how she was bundled up in a long-sleeved cardigan and a long skirt that looked like something his grandmother would wear…

The new girl stood up, pulling him to his feet along as she did so. She stared back at him, trying to pick out what sort of reason or excuse he was going to give her for trespassing on her farm in anticipation.

Sam stared back.

“Can I help you?” Her voice drifted him back into focus, and Sam’s brow quirked upwards in surprise before he started to stammer out his practiced lines. “Uhh I umm… well, er, I haven’t seen you around town yet so I thought it’d be… it’d be um, a good idea to… see you?”

Her brow furrowed as if she was thinking hard about his answer. “Okay, but who are you?”

Sam almost wanted to smack himself. _Right. Of course. Should’ve started with that._ He thought angrily to himself but took in a deep breath to calm his nerves. “Sam. Sam Wilson. I’m sure you’ve met my mother Jodi already. And my kid brother, apparently.” He explained with more clarity this time, now that he’s calmed himself down. She glanced back at him blankly before her eyes lit up.

“Ah, you must be Jodi’s son…!” The dots connected, he could visualize it judging by the look of revelation in her eyes. She glanced sideways, brow knitting worriedly upwards again. “So _that’s_ who I was missing…” He thought he’d heard her mutter, but before he could ask she took his hand, shaking it firmly. “Pleased to meet you, Sam. I’m Sophie. Sophie Rosenfeld.”

“You sure talk like you’re old or something.” Sam joked lightly as he returned the handshake, and gave an awkward chuckle which soon faded when he saw that she wasn’t laughing. “Ah… haha… you’re like… super young, right?” He gave her a playful nudge on the shoulder. Sophie gazed off to the side.

“I’m twenty-six.” She monotoned, before picking up her fallen sun hat and gloves. “Old enough, I suppose.”

Sam squinted back at the short woman, who barely met his chest in height. “Uh, I suppose the grandma skirt wasn’t by choice?”

Her face flushed red, but Sophie gave a polite cough and hastily picked up her hoe. “No, it’s my… my grandmother's. I didn’t bring much with me, so.” She bit out her words as if she was pulling teeth, and began to walk towards her cabin. Sam blinked, before quickly walking after her.

“Sorry! I mean, it’s just… it’s uh… it’s very fitting?” Sam tried to reason, hoping that would make up for his comment from before. “Y’know, with the whole farm image and what not.”

She stopped abruptly, almost causing him to bump into her, and she plunged the blade of her hoe into the ground with such force that it nearly buried the entire tool head into the soil. Sam’s eyes widened as he watched her slowly untie the gardener’s apron around her waist that was stained with dirt all over. Folding the fabric over, she began to head towards a newly-constructed shed beside the main cabin to hang it up.

 _Okay. So she’s a bit unfriendly. I can work with unfriendly._ Sam grinned to himself and followed after the farmer. “So uh, I heard you moved from Zuzu City? Why’d you do that? Practically all the cool stuff goes on over there–”

“Are you done asking me questions?” Sophie snapped back, glaring at him by the entrance of her shed. Various other gardening tools were kept in there in neat order, from what he could see through the door entrance. Sam frowned.

“Well, I can’t help it but ask! You’ve literally met everyone in town _except_ me.” He leaned against the door frame, watching her attempt to busy herself by rearranging a few of her tools around. “I mean no disrespect but… could you have… _forgotten_ to introduce yourself?”

Sam watched her freeze up, and she ever so slowly set her watering can back down to the floor. She inhaled deeply, then exhaled. And then exited the shed, brushing past him quickly as she rounded her way down the gravel path, towards the door of her house.

“Hey!!” He shouted after her, watching her ram her hands into her pockets, fishing for her house keys. “Are you _running away?!_ ”

She whirled back, but not until after she had managed to unlock her front door. Her face was red. _Guilty as charged,_ Sam thought to himself.

“Yeah, sorry, I forgot!” She yelled back, with a surprising amount of force in her voice he didn’t think was possible for someone of her stature. “By the way, I’m having dinner with your family on Tuesday night!! Because your mother insisted!” Sophie gave out a final shout before storming back inside her cabin and slamming her front door shut.

Sam’s fist balled up. “Fine!! I’ll see you then!” He shouted at her front door and spotted her looking out at the front window. She glared back at him and yanked the curtains closed.

“By the way, you’ve got dirt on your face!!” Getting his last words across, he stormed down the gravel path, towards the bus stop where the main entrance to Rosenfeld Farms sat. At least this time he won’t have to fight an entire forest to get back home. He made it past the bus stop, still fuming in his roiling rage before he stopped himself, realizing what he had done.

Letting out a groan, he crouched down and cupped his forehead with his hands. This wasn’t supposed to go down the way he had thought it would.

Like picking a fight with the new girl the first day meeting her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Changed Sam's family surname from "Harel" to "Wilson" since it rolls off the tongue better.


	4. Community Center

Tuesday morning came too soon.

Sophie Rosenfeld awoke to the feeling of dread settling in the pit of her stomach. The feeling of dreading on going down to the Wilsons’ later for that dinner she had promised Jodi. Sitting upright in her small single bed sleepily and contemplating if she should phone Jodi for a rain check, she remembered the cold, slimy largemouth bass that was sitting in her fridge.

She wouldn’t know how to prepare such a fish let alone attempting to cook it, and decided in the best interests of both parties (including the bass) she’ll suck it up and go down later tonight. The thought of having to face Sam after their more-than-petty row was something didn’t look forward to, but disappointing Jodi ultimately felt worse.

Tossing the covers off, the farmer leaned over the edge of her bed and tried her best to rub the sleep out of her eyes. They would groggily drift over to the calendar that hung by the wall near her kitchen wall; Spring 16th. She had the date marked in red, too.

Finally shuffling out of bed, Sophie went towards her small breakfast table (which was the only table she owned currently) and remembered she had harvested a basket of strawberries yesterday. The plump, red fruit were the best ones she had picked from her crop. Picking one up, she wondered briefly if Jodi liked strawberry tarts.

Meanwhile, Sam Wilson laid in his bed, awake at six o’clock on a Tuesday morning. It was his day off but the blond barely got a wink of sleep; his head continued to replay the last argument he had with Sophie and it bothered him to no end.

It dawned on him a day ago just how childish their little spat was. The fact that he was twenty-four years old already didn’t help him feel any better about it. _Well, it’s not like she’s any younger._ A side of him reasoned, which only increased the feeling of bitterness about the situation. _She's the one who started it._

He groaned aloud, tossing around in his tangled sheets before kicking them off angrily as he stared at his bedroom ceiling. This was supposed to be his day off. And it was going to end with the farmer coming over to dinner (and subsequently, torment him). A hand reached for a pillow before stuffing it into his face, where he proceeded to muffle a scream into.

 

* * *

 

**7:00 AM.**

Sophie exits her cabin, having washed up and eaten breakfast and ready for her morning chores. She is greeted by the bright, morning sun and the last remnants of the cool breeze from the early morning. The first thing she did was visiting the chicken coop, checking up on her sole brown chicken, Plato, and refilling her water trough and replenishing her feed.

Plato clucked inquisitively, cautiously walking circles around room while she waited for her caretaker to finish cleaning up the place before getting groomed. As Sophie crouched down and gave her hen a few gentle strokes and removed the shedding feathers, she wondered if she should save up for another chicken to keep Plato company.

After she was done caring for the chicken, it was time to water her flowers. Covering the entire expanse of land that she had, over time, filled to the brim with a bright assortment of spring flowers, it usually meant multiple trips back to the well to refill her watering can.

As the sun rose higher into the sky, Sophie would end up lapping over to the well she had gotten Robin to install just last week, almost a few dozen times. When she had finished watering the last of her crops, two hours would have passed already. It was 9 o’clock.

 **9:30 AM.**  
  
Changed out of her gardening apron and armed with a shopping basket, she would go into Pelican Town and stop by Pierre’s to see what was on sale for the day. It was a half-hour walk into town, but she enjoyed every minute of it. The openness of the land, the fact that there wasn’t a single soul until she stepped into town; it was like her own private road. The trees were heavy with pink flowers, and the ground was stained white with their petals.

Spotting Harvey’s clinic in the near distance, Sophie quickened her pace; mood bright from the brisk, morning walk into town. What would be on sale today? Cauliflower seeds? Perhaps more parsnips?

The door to the clinic swung open, and someone had exited the glass doors rather abruptly, causing her to not-so-subtly bump into them. Stopping herself from falling back down on her ass (she’d learned her lesson thanks to Sam) Sophie managed to catch her balance, but her basket tumbled out of her grasp and rolled to a stop a few paces away.  
  
“S-Sorry about that!” She apologized quickly without lifting her glance to see how it was, and immediately crouched down and reached for her basket. She just wanted to quickly get to Pierre’s, do her shopping, and hurry back to the farm. Before her fingers could pry her basket back to her side, the figure of a familiar brunette decked out in a green letterman’s jacket had already picked it up and handed it over.

Sophie stiffened up for a moment, before cautiously accepting it. “Thank you.” She murmured aloud, daring to look at Alex Mullner in the eyes. He looked surprised himself as if he wasn’t expecting to see her, but that genuine look of bewilderment was quickly replaced with a confident smirk.

“Why, isn’t it the farm girl herself.” He would state with playful amusement, and stood up whilst stretching a hand out for her. Sophie’s fingers tightened around the handle of her basket before she begrudgingly accepted his “gesture” of kindness. He easily pulled her up to her feet in one, firm tug.

“Good morning, Alex.” Sophie forced a smile, wriggling her fingers out of his grasp. It almost seemed like for a moment he didn’t want to let go, but had released her at the last second. Weird. Must be her imagination. “Had an appointment with the doctor?”

He looked a bit worried at her words; a perplexed arch forming in his brows. “Yeah, I guess you can say that. Had to get the doc to take a look at my shoulder. I think I pulled a muscle from tossing my gridball too much the other day.” As if to accentuate this, he would press his left hand against the joint of his right shoulder and began to stretch it out in mild motions.

Not wanting to seem uninterested, but wholly uninvested in what Alex’s problems were, Sophie gave another practised smile and a slight tilt of her head, cupping her chin and gave a feminine chuckle. “Well, that’s unfortunate to hear. I hope you get better soon.” Alex ceased his arm-stretch slash flexing, before rolling his lips slightly to one side and eyed the farmer back sharply.

The corner of Sophie’s mouth tugged with a slight twitch as she wondered how long she should hold her smile for.

“Y’know, it almost reminded me of this one time when I was a kid. It was like ages ago. But I climbed a tree and tried to swing around the branches thinking I was Tarzan? And I twisted my arm that day.” He spoke plainly, without the dressing and accessorizing of the usual flourishes he employed in his conversations with her. Sophie’s smile tightened. _What? What on earth is he going on about now…?_

Alex’s eyes stared back at her expectantly. Sophie never noticed until now that they were quite green, but the depth of his stare was beginning to linger a moment too long and was starting to sow discomfort in her.

“Ah well, I have to get going now.” Sophie brightly piped up, clapping her hands together as she made the motion to walk away from Alex and his strange glowering at her. “I’ll talk to you later. Have a nice day.” Hurrying away as quickly as she could, she took quick strides and scurried over to the front of Pierre’s shop.

Alex turned around to stare at the farmer girl, who looked flustered as she tried to push the door when it was labelled “Pull”.

“Yeah, see you around.” He echoed back strangely.

 

* * *

 

Exiting Pierre’s, Sophia shivered slightly as she recalled her earlier encounter with Alex. That was… not exactly creepy, but everything just seemed off with that boy. Letting out a sigh of relief to see that he wasn’t standing by his usual spot outside of the Mullner’s house, she glanced down at the fistful of cauliflower seeds she managed to buy along with a few, various other discounted groceries now sitting heavily in her shopping basket.

 _Time to head back to the farm_ , she thought to herself as she examined the label on the seed packets for planting instructions. “Huh, takes… twelve days to mature?! Spring will be over by then!” She moaned into the packet, sighing wistfully and wondering if she should have read the packet before impulsively spending her weekly budget on the seeds.

As she walked past the steps leading up to Pelican Town’s playground, she spotted Mayor Lewis walking further up north with a worried look on his face. She halted on the spot, wondering if she should go over and greet the mayor or shuffle indiscreetly back to her farm. An internal struggle was to be had for the next minute, and she sighed deeply as she pocketed her cauliflower seeds and went up the steps after the mayor.

“Mayor Lewis!” She called out, spotting the older man now standing in front of a dilapidated building. It was large; quite possibly, perhaps half of the plot that comprised of the open playground space. However, unlike the children’s playground which looked well-kept and looked after, the grandeur of this building has been lost to the ravages of time. Vines and other overgrowth have found its way, crawling all over the surface of the brick walls. Rotting window shutters were hanging on by its hinges, which looked like it would give out any moment from the rust. Beaten, battered, and weathered were words that could only describe this place.

Lewis turned around, having heard his name being called, and was pleasantly surprised to see Sophie walking towards him. He looked a little sad, she could tell, and judging by how the building was in disrepair, she could see why.  
“Oh, good morning, Sophie.” He greeted her warmly, before turning back to stare up at the building. The large clock that adorned the top of the front doors had stopped working some time ago, indicated by the fact that it was stuck in the 12:25 position when it was still morning. Sophie stared up at the building, standing beside the mayor who gave out a long, tired sigh.

“It’s an eyesore, isn’t it?” He chuckled humourlessly, eyes glistening in the sunshine as he gazed up at the building. “Pelican Town’s finest and best; the Community Center. Or what’s left of it anyway. Used to be the pride ‘n joy of Pelican Town. Now it’s just living out its last days, waiting to be torn down…”

Sophie opened her mouth to say something, but couldn’t. She wouldn’t. There weren’t any words she could formulate or plan to soothe Lewis. He looked deeply upset by the disparaging view of the broken down building; but perhaps, even more so at the loss of life that once lived in those halls.

“I know what you’re thinking. It’s shameful, isn’t it?” Lewis continued softly and walked up towards the front doors before pressing a weathered hand against the rough wood. “Your grandfather worked so hard to bring our little town together by building this. Now, just look at it; _absolutely shameful_. You must be disappointed in me, Sophie, for not protecting Erwin’s legacy.”

Sophie frowned.

“I... didn’t know my grandfather had contributed to this landmark in town.” She started quietly, taking slow steps and moving closer towards Lewis. “Things change; I understand.” Comfortingly, she placed a hand on the old man’s shoulder. Lewis let out a small chuckle.

“I’ve tried, but I can’t say I gave it my all.” He admitted, before letting out a tired sigh. “Can’t get the young folk to participate much with the community when they all prefer to sit ‘n front of their darned television sets and their Internet surfing, or whatever you call it…” He grumbled aloud, and Sophie tried to cut back her snort of laughter. “That _is_ very true.” She agreed with a hint of mirth, glancing at the craftsmanship of the woodworking gone into the building, now aged and degraded from the years.

“Joja Corporation has been hounding me to sell them the land so they can turn it into a warehouse.” Lewis angrily muttered, before withdrawing an old key from his coat pockets and unlocking the padlock to the front door. Giving them a good shove, a cloud of dust erupted from the sudden disturbance and he coughed, waving a hand for Sophie to follow him.

Normally, Sophie would be hesitant in following an elderly old man into a dusty, abandoned building that must be crawling with bugs and dust and other unwanted things, but the moment Lewis had unlocked the doors and opened it, she could feel a cool draft passing by and brushing her cheek. Like a strange sensation that was swaying her very soul, compelling her to venture forth.

She took a step forward and walked inside.

Sunlight filtered through the windows that weren’t boarded up, illuminating the old Community Center with a warm glow that, despite the eerie stillness, gave it a sort of warmth that almost made Sophie feel like the building itself was still alive, in some way. As she glanced around in wonderment, she met Lewis by the grand fireplace in the center of the main hall, marvelling at how larger the Community Center seemed from the inside.

“Nothing but dust and cobwebs here. It looks more dilapidated than I remember.” Lewis griped regretfully; his footsteps creaking against the old floorboards. Some of which were torn up by wild animals or simply rotted away from time, showing the natural dirt below. Spots where the sunlight could reach, fostered a blanket of greenery that poked through the wooden cracks and holes.

Off to the side near the fireplace was a small, earthen hut topped with leaves and sticks. Sophie stared at it quizzically, which soon caught Lewis’ attention as well. “Huh? Hmm… well that’s new. I guess Vincent and Jas has been sneaking in playing around here.”

Fading out Lewis’ complaints as Sophie crouched down to look at this tiny, earthen tent that was crudely constructed together, she surmised that it was far too small for even a child of Vincent’s age to manage to crawl into, and wondered if perhaps it was a den of raccoons or something similar. Squinting into the hole, she saw nothing but blackness.

And then, an apple green blob, bouncing in the shadows, waving a hairline-thin arm at her.

Sophie’s blood ran cold.

“What’s the matter?” Lewis asked her gently, shaking her out of her frozen terror. “Are you feeling alright?”

Sophie’s mouth hung open. That little green… thing she spotted before was gone. Disappeared.

“I… er, um…” She stood up now, feeling a little dizzy as she did so, and took a few steps back.”I thought I saw something over there but I… I can’t be sure…” She paced around the tent, trying to see if it had perhaps escaped to the back. But nothing was there.

Lewis laughed. “You saw something? Well, I won’t be surprised of this place was home to a rat or two. It hasn’t been used in years.”

_Rats? That didn’t look like a rat though…_

“Anyway, thanks for finding the time to chat with an old man and his memories. I’ll be heading home now.” Lewis walked towards the main entrance, pushing the doors open. “Ah, and I suppose I can keep this place unlocked from now on.” He gave a wistful smile back at Sophie. “I’m sure you’re curious about your grandfather’s past. I’m sure you can learn a thing or two about him.” A pause, and then a sheepish smile. “And if you can, if you have some extra time, to catch a rat or two.”

Lewis was gone, having left for greener pastures and the prospect of lunch.

Sophie turned around again, hearing nothing but the wind and the groan of the floorboards creaking against the windy weather. Staring suspiciously at the entirety of the place, she swallowed hard and decided to quickly stroll down the hallways to take a brief look at the place. Down one of the hallways, she spotted what looked like an old pantry closet, a kitchen, and a playroom for children. In the middle of the playroom was a shining piece of paper.

Curiosity got the better of her, and picking up the golden parchment which shone from a light unseen, all she could see was a series of glyphic marks and scratches that resembled no language known to her. “That’s… strange.” She murmured to herself, but a small creak from somewhere in the room sent a chill down her spine. She glanced up, but saw nothing. Perhaps she had outstayed her welcome.

The atmosphere felt cold, and she hurried her way out of the Community Center; not wanting to dwell a moment longer.


	5. Crispy Bass

She was already having second thoughts about dinner, but she was already halfway there to the Wilsons', and it was too late to turn back at this rate.

Sophie carefully walked around the tall grass that bordered the edge of the forest path, careful not to step in any dirt or mud. She knew how Jodi was always busy with keeping the house clean and had on one occasion, expressed her distaste for the state of her soil-crusted boots she wore everywhere. The young woman had decided to forego the comfortable leather boots and put on a pair of lightly heeled shoes that she bought in Zuzu City. The sort of shoes that she would wear on an occasional night out.

 _What was I thinking?_ Sophie thought helplessly as she tried her best to walk across the uneven, bumpy dirt road that curved past Marnie's ranch. _It's just dinner with Jodi. It's not like the woman asked me out on a date or something._ Wondering if perhaps she was trying a little _too_ hard to impress, Sophie groaned aloud and passed by the fences that kept Marnie's cattle in. The sight only reminded her that she wasn't living in a concrete jungle anymore; this was true, rural farmland.

One hand held the small cooler which carried the largemouth bass in ice; the other arm, with a picnic basket hanging from the crook of her elbow. Freshly baked strawberry tarts, made with the ones from her farm. The tarts were made with eggs from her chicken, too. Sophie hoped it would be the least she could do after all the times the mother of two had helped her around the town; especially with directions.

The path ended and changed into a neat, brick road. The unmistakable blue house with the mahogany front door was the first house that greeted her in Pelican Town. Walking up to the front lawn, Sophie took in a deep breath and checked herself over once more.

The blue-grey woolen knit cardigan was a bit oversized, but it was the nicest thing she had aside from the usual ones she wore to keep the chill off her shoulders when she was working on her farm. Quickly setting the cooler down and placing the picnic basket on top of it, Sophie opted to button up her cardigan halfway and smoothened her hands over the fabric. She had a sleeveless, white fitted shirt that was tucked in around her waist by a long, navy skirt.

She was now wondering if she was _underdressed._

 _Nonsense, Soph. Get yourself together. It’s just a dinner! A friendly dinner with a neighbour in town._ She picked her things back up, gathered her courage together, and walked up the steps to the front door and rang the doorbell.

The door opened a short moment later, revealing a tired but smiling Jodi on the other side. A wave of relief washed over Sophie to see that it wasn’t Sam who answered the door instead. “Sophie! Please, come in!” Jodi ushered the young woman into her home. Sophie gladly obliged, smelling the beginnings of dinner being prepared in the kitchen. “I brought the largemouth bass, just as you requested.” She lifted up the mini-cooler for Jodi to see. The mother smiled widely, and took hold of the fish.

“Thank you dear, with this I can finally get to work on my crispy bass!” Closing the door after her dinner guest, Jodi motioned for Sophie to follow her. “Come in, come in! I’m afraid our home isn’t very large, but feel free to sit down in the living room while I finish preparing dinner…”

Sophie cautiously followed Jodi, her eyes fluttering over to the hallway that seemed to lead to two bedrooms. Their doors were closed. She quickly snapped her eyes back to Jodi, and followed her to the kitchen.

“Please, let me help.” Sophie offered with a smile, and placed her basket by the dining table. “I erm, I also made dessert, if that’s okay…”

Jodi’s face wrinkled into a wide smile. “Oh Sophie, you shouldn’t have! But that’s very kind of you. Why don’t you leave it by the kitchen and go say hi to Vincent and Sam?”

_Oh great._

“S-Sure, I’ll do just that.” Sophie exclaimed nervously as she felt the redhead practically shove her out of the kitchen; intent on delivering her to her son’s bedroom doorstep. “A-Are you sure you don’t need me to help around the kitchen…?”

Jodi smiled back. “You’re our guest tonight. So just _relax_ and sit tight until dinner.”

At that moment, one of the bedroom doors swung open. Sophie nearly caught her heart in her throat but was relieved to see it was none other but Vincent coming out of his bedroom, with a toy car in his hand. He looked surprised to see her there, but grinned anyway.

“Hi Auntie Sophie!” He exclaimed excitedly and bounced over to the awkwardly-smiling farmer. “Are you staying over for dinner?”

“Yep!” Sophie answered back animatedly, taking a seat against one of the sofas in the living room. Vincent climbed up to a spot beside her. “Your mother invited me to have supper with you tonight!” She confirmed, and couldn’t help but to smile when she watched Vincent shyly look away. _At least Jodi has one son who’s got proper manners on his plate._ She thought wryly to herself. Speaking of which…

Clearing her throat, she glanced up to see the other closed bedroom door. “Is… is your brother not home today?” She asked carefully, and Vincent had to pause as he thought for a moment. “Oh, big bro went out today. He’ll come home for dinner, ‘cuz mom told him to.” He grinned back at Sophie. “He hates lentil soup too so he goes to play with his friends when we do.”

Sophie chuckled. “You hate lentil soup too, huh?” Vincent nodded vigorously. “Yep! It’s yucky and gross and it weirds weird in my mouth!”

“It’s gross but you should try to eat it anyway. Your mother works very hard to make your meals every day for you, y’know?” Vincent made a face at her words, before making gurgling and barfing noises afterward.

“I thought you were cooler than that, Auntie Sophie.” Vincent pouted, rolling over to the far end of the sofa. Sophie’s face fell. Somehow rejection from Vincent was blow that landed harder than anything she’s experienced so far.

“Oh c’mon now! It’s just ‘Sophie’ and don’t you forget it, mister!” She teased and gave him a tickle, whereupon the boy exploded into a fit of laughter.

Just then, the front door swung open and a tall figure filled the frame as he hurriedly shuffled into the house, slamming the door behind him. Sophie and Vincent looked up in surprise, and the latter immediately bounced off the couch and ran over to greet his older brother. “Sam! Sam! Sophie’s staying over tonight!” He excited delivered the news, unaware of the mix-up in his words as he did so. Sophie’s face paled, and she let out a small awkward laugh.

“Uh, Vincent, I’m just staying for dinner–”

“Hi Sophie.” Sam deadpanned, staring back at her quickly before glancing back down at Vincent. “And that’s great Vince.” He gave his younger brother a brisk ruffle on his head and headed straight for his room, and closed the door behind him. Vincent’s face fell at the cold reception, and trotted back to the sofa, defeated.

“Guess Sam’s just gonna sit in his room again.” Picking up his toy car, Vincent gathered the rest of his toys that were laying around in the living room area and went back to his room to play. Sophie sat alone in the living room, and she wrung her hands tightly together wondering if this was her fault.

 

* * *

 

Closing his bedroom door shut behind him as quickly as he could, Sam groaned inwardly and berated himself for not going home earlier. That whole awkward interaction could’ve been avoided if he didn’t spent so long shooting the breeze with Sebastian down by the river. Speaking of which, after he had relayed his disastrous results to his best friend, he was promptly _made fun of_ by the very people who gave him the idea in the first place.

 _“‘Granny skirt’? Hell, I would’ve punched you if I were her.”_ _Sebastian took in a deep puff of his cigarette while glancing back at Sam with an unimpressed look on his face. “You just don’t like… say those kinds of things to a girl.”_

_Sam bristled. “What else was I supposed to have said?”_

_“Literally anything else would’ve been fine.” Sebastian countered, before putting his cigarette out. “Look, if I were you, I’d just apologize. You’re having dinner with her tonight, right?”_

_“Yeah, but…”_

_“Who was the one who wanted to make friends with the new girl so badly? Oh, right. You.”_

He slumped down on his bed, exhaling sharply and closed his eyes. Maybe if he fell asleep right now, he’d get out of having to eat dinner…

...except that wasn’t going to happen, because a knock sounded on his bedroom door and jolted him awake. Sam rolled over, ignoring it. It was probably Vincent, bugging him to borrow a video game or play on his computer. The knocking persisted.

“Whatever it is, it’s a ‘no’ from me, Vince!” He yelled out angrily, and stomped over to his bedroom door and wrenched it open. The look of aghast was spread over the farmer’s face, who certainly didn’t expect that sort of welcome from him. Sam stared dumbly back at Sophie, before glancing away with a frown. “Oh, Sophie.”

“Is uh, everything okay?” She asked cautiously.

“Why’re you asking? Is it your turn to play twenty questions now?” He quipped back. She looked stung by his words – understandably so – but she kept her chin high and cleared her throat uneasily. Sophie gazed at him directly, looking at him in the eye.

“May I have a word with you?” There was no irritation in her voice or her facial expressions; in fact, she looked quite serious, if not a tinge somber. Sam gazed back intently for a moment, before relenting to her request with a sigh. “Fine. Come in.” He opened the door wider and allowed the short woman enter his bedroom.

Bright green carpet lined the spacious bedroom. The brick walls were plastered with band posters and pictures of famous musicians and other pop culture icons. A dresser and a bookcase sat against one side of the room, a large bed against the corner with a computer desk, and most impressive was the set of drums and electric keyboard in the far corner opposite. Guitars both electric and acoustic were displayed neatly where there was space.

Sam dragged the chair by his computer desk and pulled it out for her. Sophie glanced around awkwardly before quickly taking the seat, not wanting to deny his act of kindness at the moment. He took a seat opposite her on his bed.

“I just want to apologize for the other day.” She was quick to the point, it seemed. No cutting corners. Sam barely had time to register his own breathing, let alone mentally preparing himself for whatever conversation they were about to have, and she was already apologizing. _Was this supposed to happen?_

“I realized I was acting rather immaturely and came across as unpleasant.” Sophie continued fluidly, entwining her fingers together. “If it’s alright with you, I’d like to clear the air between us.” Sam, who sat hunched over while cupping his chin up with a propped arm, furrowed his brow as he merely stared back at her. First impression Sophie was nothing to write home about, but having cleaned up from the dirt and sweat from toiling on her farm, she was rather pleasant to look at.

“I think taking over the farm had been stressing me out lately, so if I selfishly lashed out at you, I’m very sorry…” Sam nodded as she continued her apology; eyes scrutinizing as he focused away from the outfit she wore to her face. _At least she doesn’t have dirt on her face today._ He smiled to himself, noticing that perhaps she was wearing some light makeup tonight. _She must be wearing perfume. Smells like flowers._

“Sam…? Sam?” Her voice brought him back to attention and he blinked blankly back at her. Sophie looked expectantly back at him, her lips tightening together as if she was balancing on an edge wondering if he was listening or not. “Sam, are we good then?”

“Y-Yeah! Totally! Y-You’re good!” He quickly panned out with a grin, straightening up and rubbed his neck instinctively. “I-I mean, we’re good.” He watched relief wash over her face, a small smile gracing her usual stiff and serious expression.

“Thank goodness. I’m glad.” She replied exasperatingly, but thankful. Very thankful. “I just don’t want us to get off on the wrong foot.”

“Uh, I mean.” Sam guiltily glanced away. “I’m sorry for saying you wore a granny skirt. And all the other dumb stuff I said before, I guess.”

Laughter chimed out of her unexpectedly. “You’re right though; it _was_ a granny skirt.” Through the noises of her mirth, a genuine look of who Sophie Rosenfeld truly was shone through in her eyes at that moment. “It totally was a granny skirt.”

Sam smiled. “Heh, yeah it was. It’s cool though, I get it. Moving to a new place on your own, it’s only natural that you don’t have much with you.”

Sophie smiled back at his understanding. “Yeah, but it’s alright. My grandfather left behind quite a few things for me; I’ll get by.”

Was it the fact that the setting sun was warming up his room? Or the fact that perhaps this sudden closeness between the two of them was exciting him? Sam rubbed his neck again, feeling a little hot under the collar. He was friends with quite a few people in Pelican Town, but somehow speaking with Sophie was putting him off his game.

“Sam!” He could hear his mother calling for him. Eyes shot up quickly, eying the bedroom door. “Sam, sweetie, help your mother set the table!”

“Coming!” He yelled back, and got up quickly. Unfortunately, Sophie seemed to be of the same mind, since she stood up from her spot, managing out a, “It’s alright, I’ll do it!” before they both collided into one another.

Again.

Sam thought he’d grown out of the awkward teenage body phase because somehow along the way he ended up miscalculating how long his strides were, effectively bowling over the shorter girl who only let out a muffled gasp before tumbling backwards. The office chair she was sitting on rolled away; almost crashing against his drum set.

Thankfully, the soft carpet of his room caught the brunt of their fall, and Sam managed to stop himself short from crushing Sophie entirely evidenced by his hand pressing hard against the space beside her shoulder; his other arm digging an elbow into the ground on the other side. He felt a weight tug down his shirt, and noticed that Sophie had two fistfuls of his jacket in her hands, wringing it tightly against her. She had tried to grab onto him for dear life, but they fell back anyway.

“Sophie!! Is your head okay? Did you bump it?” Apologies wouldn’t be enough for his clumsiness, but he needed to know that she hadn’t injured herself in his less-than-impressive display of locomotion. She winced, nodding her head. “It’s fine, it’s fine…” She managed to mumble out, and released her hold on his shirt. “I heard a big thud when you fell.” Sam countered hotly, and attempted to check the side of her head. Flustered, Sophie tried to shake him off. “I-It’s no big deal, I’m fine Sam–”

His bedroom door swung open, revealing Vincent who had opened it curiously at the noise. He stared at his brother, and then at Sophie who was pinned beneath him.

“So is Sophie staying over tonight after all?” Came Vincent’s innocent question, causing the two of them to turn bright red. Working quickly to untangle himself from Sophie, Sam detached himself from the farmer who quickly sat up with a horrified expression on her face. “E-Er, Vincent!” Sophie laughed awkwardly, and attempted to pick herself back up to her feet and nervously glanced back at Sam. The tips of his ears were red.

“ _Sam Wilson!_ ” His mother’s voice came more urgently this time, as evidenced by the surname usage and the impatience in her tone. Sam raced out his door, but not before nearly tripping over his feet. Stumbling down the hall and making a zip line for the kitchen, he found his mother occupied with the fish she was currently frying by the stovetop. Hearing her son finally coming into the kitchen, she turned around with a frown.

“Were you playing your music too loud again?” She chastised him lightly, and turned away from her cooking to face her son when he gave no response. Sam was dutifully setting the table; stone-faced.

Jodi pursed her lips quizzically together, before turning back to her fish before it could burn.

 

* * *

 

“Would you like some more salad, Sophie?”

“Thank you, Jodi. That would be lovely.”

As Jodi forked a bunch of greens over to the young woman’s plate who sat across from her at the dinner table, she tucked a couple of sliced radishes on top and set the bowl back down. Dinner had been quiet so far, if not occasionally punctuated with Vincent picking at his plate at the variety of things he disliked.

“So… I hear life on the farm is working you hard.” Jodi smiled, lifting a fork up near her mouth tentatively as she decided to break the silence with some conversation. “How’re you holding up?”

“It’s been slow getting things up and running, but it’s progress, so I can’t complain much.” Sophie modestly answered. Robin had installed several beehives on her property where she had been planting plots and plots of flowers. Honey had yet to be yielded from them, but the natural process would take a few days and the wait was worthwhile. Now if only she could facilitate the watering into an easier process every morning…

“I already get so worn out taking care of the house and running errands all day. I simply don’t know how you do it.” Jodi sighed aloud, but despite her complaint she gave her guest an admiring smile.

The woman had always looked a little thin and fatigued every time Sophie saw her, that much was true. Sophie gazed sympathetically back at Jodi, before glancing sideways over to Sam who looked a little guilty at his mother’s words; nevertheless, he kept his head down as he worked his dinner plate.

 _I could lend a hand._ Her mind raced with thoughts of helping Jodi, but she bit down on that thought bitterly. Was she going to involve herself further than this? Jodi was kind, but a part of her didn’t want the hassle of friendship with the woman. Was it cold of her to think that way? Her mouth wavered between opening to speak up and closing on the next bite of her food, but in the end, her gut won out and Sophie closed her mouth before she could stammer out her thoughts.

_I’m such a coward._

As the family finished up with dinner, Sophie found herself bringing the dirty dishes to the kitchen sink, rearranging them in the sink neatly before soaping them with warm water. Jodi was bundling up the last of the leftovers into the fridge and quickly turned to Sophie with a pat on her arm. “Sophie, thank you for helping me clean up.” She picked up a dish towel, wiping down the counter. “I’ve spoiled Vincent and Sam too much, so they never help out with the chores.”

A wistful sigh escaped from the mother’s lips, but she smiled regardless. Sophie wryly smiled to herself, looking back down at the dishes she was scrubbing in the soapy water. “I can tell you love them very much.” It came out more of a statement to herself than anything, but nevertheless, Jodi would chuckle in response as the two women finished up with the cleaning.

Her eyes glanced over at the clock. It was 9 PM already. She dried her hands quickly. “It’s getting late; I better head back to the farm. Thank you again for the dinner, Jodi.” Sophie gave a small bow of her head, and the red-haired woman wheeled back from the kitchen sink, grabbing the dish towel and followed Sophie out to the front door.

“Will you be alright heading back to the farm at this time of the night?” Jodi inquired worriedly, and she glanced at the inky darkness that had settled outside. Although it was spring, the temperature had gone down considerably since daylight had fallen, and there was a chill in the air.

“It’s not too far of a walk, I’ll be fine.” Sophie assured her, stepping outside before stopping at the bottom steps. “Besides, Pelican Town isn’t Zuzu City; I think a raccoon would be the first thing I’d run into here!” Sophie laughed, but her small joke didn’t seem to humour Jodi. The woman pursed her lips, before ducking her head back inside her house.

“Sam!” At her voice, her eldest son came out of his bedroom, looking slightly perturbed at what his mother wanted from him at this late hour. “Sam, would you walk Sophie back home to her farm? It’s late and dark outside.”

Sophie raised both hands defensively. “Jodi, it’s alright I can–”

“Alright.” He shrugged nonchalantly and grabbed his denim jacket from the coat stand by the front door. Jodi smiled, before giving her oldest a peck on the cheek. “Thank you, Sam. I need to put Vincent to bed now. Have a good night, Sophie!”

And with that, Sophie found herself walking down the dirt road towards Marnie’s Ranch in the night alongside with Sam.

“Your mother… she shouldn’t worry so much.” Sophie spoke up awkwardly, trying to break the silence between them. “I think I can manage a small walk back to my place by myself.”

“You know how my mom is. She worries too much.” Sam responded with a small roll of his eyes. He knew from experience; years of his mother coddling him and his brother painted a picture of a very overbearing mother. “Sometimes I feel like I don’t get room to breathe and be independent.”

Sophie remained quiet, as she remembered about her own mother. Most certainly harsher than Jodi, the woman was stern and strict. Her mother was strong, that much was for sure, but the sort of love she experienced from her mother was vastly different than the love that Jodi showed to her children. Perhaps there’s no rubric or hard guideline on how mothers should display their affection to their children – but to Sophie, she couldn’t help but to feel a small pang of jealousy at how Jodi fawned over Vincent and Sam.

_“Your mother… had a difficult upbringing. She didn’t get the opportunities you had. She just wanted you to secure a future for yourself so you didn’t have to live in poverty like she did.”_

Her father’s words came back to mind, which only made Sophie feel worse. Was she doing the right thing by moving onto her grandfather’s farm? She wasn’t exactly living in abject poverty, but it’s not the glamourous lifestyle her mother wished she had.

_But was she happy?_

Sam could tell that she was clearly lost in thought, perhaps possibly ruminating over something by the way her brow knitted upwards and the troubled look in her eye. And the fact that she had lost concentration in their conversation by the way how she stared ahead at the blank space in front of them as if there was something there but there wasn’t. He cleared his throat loudly, which seemed to work, as Sophie glanced upwards at him; surprised.

“Ah, sorry did you say something?”

“No, it just looked like you’re… pretty deep in thought about something.” Sam offered his honesty, earning him a deep sigh from the short woman. “Something on your mind?”

“Oh, erm… it’s nothing, really…” Sophie lied, pulling the folds of her cardigan closed tightly against the brunt of a particularly drafty, night breeze. “Just planning my day for tomorrow, that’s all.”

“Sounds busy.”

“Mhm.”

They were entering the trail that led to the south end of the farm now, but due to the lack of sufficient lighting, the footpath was difficult to see. Sophie automatically slowed her pace, feeling out the dirt and taking cautious steps forward to prevent from stumbling into something in the dark.

“S-Sorry.” She mumbled out, feeling her eyes slowly adjusting in the dark now that they’ve walked past Marnie’s Ranch, where the last source of light had briefly illuminated their walk thus far. “I should get some lamp posts installed here.” Darn her and these fancy shoes she decided to wear! It was fine earlier the day when she could see where she was actually going, but in the darkness, she was stumbling around like an idiot.

A hand grabbed hers, gently but firmly pulling her closer. Sophie felt her body press against Sam’s arm for a brief moment as she leaned against his grip, and quickly straightened. “Hold my hand.” He almost seemed to command, but Sophie gratefully accepted his offer and squeezed his hand tightly as she walked past the piles of debris she had yet to clear out, alongside him. She was also grateful that he wouldn’t be able to see the redness that was filling her face in the darkness.

“Thanks.” She breathed out, feeling the grass tickle her ankles as she walked past them with Sam in the lead. The faint smell of flowers filled the air as they made their way past her massive plot of spring flowers. It felt too embarrassing to just stare at the figure of his back, so she looked up at the sky instead. She sincerely hoped that Sam wouldn’t notice the way how she was sweating up a storm at the moment.

“Don’t mention it.” Sam replied, and he glanced back to smile at her. He saw her looking up at the sky and the way how her expression changed ever so slightly — a fraction of her face framed by the moonlight, illuminating that look of wonderment as she continued to gaze heavenward.

He glanced up as well and saw the night sky scattered with hundreds of millions of stars with a backdrop of a milky-purple and golden light that make the nighttime darkness seem almost trivial. The shivering of the trees in the distance from the night wind that blew gently across the valley sent a shiver up his spine; a shiver of exhilaration from witnessing the sight before him.

“It’s beautiful.” Sophie finally spoke up, commenting on the night sky as her eyes traced the innumerable lights that glittered faintly in the incomprehensible distance. “It’s something I don’t get to see back in Zuzu City.” Sam tore his gaze to face Sophie, who stood still as she surveyed the heavens; her warm hand still clutched gently in his.

Sam chuckled aloud, prompting Sophie to ground herself back from the stargazing. Blinking quickly and clearing her throat, embarrassed, she gave a quick tug of her hand connected to his to signal to continue the rest of their walk back. “That’s the one thing I don’t miss about Zuzu.” Sam replied wholeheartedly, trying to bite back his laughter as he felt himself being pulled along by the farmer.

At last, the view of her front door appeared in view and Sophie almost wanted to sigh a breath of relief. Today had been too much; too much exposure to other people, and she desperately needed to get ready for bed and rest her weary soul to brace for tomorrow’s early morning. Sam, true to his word to his mother, escorted her to the steps of her front porch. The porch light flickered on as soon as the motion sensor detected the nearby bodies.

He let go of her hand. She didn’t realize how sweaty it’d gotten until now.

“Um, thanks for walking me home. I’ll be sure to install those lights and finish clearing out the rest of the property.” Sophie mumbled out an apology, cupping a hand behind her ear to brush back a few strands of stray hair caught by the wind. _And a few lights next time so I don’t have to feel my way back home._ She thought to herself but decided it was best to keep quiet on that, lest she found herself on the receiving end of Sam’s jokes.

“Are you suggesting I’ll be visiting again?” Sam joked lightly, and Sophie stared back at him in genuine shock, dumbstruck. Sam immediately sensed her silence, panic kicking followed by nervous laughter. “I-I mean, if you’re okay with that of course, I was trying to uh, I didn’t mean to—”

Silence fell between them again when Sam couldn’t find the words he wanted to say, and his stuttering stopped as he decided to just simply stay silent, lest he made the situation worse. Sophie stared at the ground, her mind running a thousand miles a minute, and despite her heart wanting to quiver and shake like a leaf in the wind, a single question burned inside her mind.

_Were they… friends?_

Blinking back the uncertainty that muddled her eyes, Sophie relented to a small nod of her head. “S-Sure.” _I’d like that._ She thought to herself, but could not bring herself to say. Sam’s face eased into a look of relief and he rubbed the back of his ear with a slight grin as he did so.

“Alright, I won’t keep you. You should come into town more often next time.” He suggested hopefully, wondering if she would be down to spend time with him, Sebastian and Abigail some time. It seemed awfully lonely to live all by herself on this large farm. _A little unsafe, too._ “Maybe we can hang out sometime.”

Sophie pressed back a smile. “We’ll see.”

Sam inhaled deeply, stuffing his hands into his pockets and wondered why the embarrassment was returning. “Anyway! Guess I’ll start heading back now.”

“Are you sure you’ll be able to make your way back?” Sophie asked worriedly, wondering if he was going to cut through her farm, through the wooded path.

“Nah, I’ll just take the regular route back through town. Doesn’t bother me.”

“Alright. Have a good night.”

“You too.”

She felt the door press closed against her back, her eyes shut tight as she faced the empty space of her barely-furnished cabin. Sam was a good person. She regretted being so awful to him from the start; it was hard to adjust from distrusting everyone back in Zuzu City. The people here in Pelican Town were most certainly different, and she should give them the benefit of the doubt.

Sophie just didn’t know when and how she would be comfortable in letting them in her life.

 

* * *

 

"Mom?" Vincent's question came through his covers, muffled. Jodi smiled down at her youngest son and pressed a hand over his blankets to iron out the wrinkles. "What is it, dear?"

"Do you think Sophie likes us?"

His voice came out hopeful but scared of rejection at the same time. Jodi's brow furrowed at this, but she refused to frown in front of Vincent. So instead, she smiled. "Why, I think Sophie had a wonderful time with us tonight, don't you think so too?"

Vincent looked a little perplexed, thinking hard. Another question entered his mind, and he gazed up at his mother expectantly. 

"So Sophie's gonna marry Sam?"

Jodi nearly spluttered the breath she was holding in before she managed to regain her composure; albeit barely. A nervous laugh bobbed inside her throat. "W-Why do you think that?"

Vincent rolled over in his sheets to the other side of the bed and grinned sleepily to himself. 

"Cuz Sophie likes us."


End file.
